Ukraine’s parliament adopts anti-coronavirus law
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine will set up a National Rescue Headquarters to deal with the situation with the spread of the coronavirus. This was stated by the chairman of the Servant of the People’s parliamentary faction Davyd Arakhamia. "A National Rescue Headquarters will be established under the government in the near future, with representatives of each faction necessarily," Arakhamia said. "And they will work together: the Office of the President, the government and the parliament. To work on the solutions that we will need to work on, depending on how the epidemic is moving. Then we will prepare it, integrate it into bills, call an extraordinary session and vote," the MP added. As we reported earlier, on Tuesday, March 17, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) will hold an extraordinary emergency meeting on counteraction of the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law, aiming for the prevention of Covid-19 spread. 344 MPs supported the decision.
The law provides the administrative responsibility for the violation of the quarantine rule in the form of the fines in the sum from 17,000 up to 34,000 hryvnia ($637-1,274) and for officials in the sum of 34-170,000 hryvnia ($1,274-6,373).
The violation of the health standards and rules on the prevention of the infections diseases will be punished by the fines in the sum from 17,000 up to 51,000 hryvnia ($637-1,912) or arrest up to six months/ restriction of liberty or arrest up to three years/ restriction of liberty. If such actions lead to the death of a person or other serious consequences, the guilty will face from five up to eight years of the arrest.
The law provides the population with the possibility to work remotely in terms of the quarantine or go on vacation. The document provides additional allowances for the medical staff and other employees who work on the liquidation of the coronavirus epidemic.
Moreover, the law provides the operational procurement of goods, work and services necessary for the liquidation and non-admission of the coronavirus epidemic through the negotiation procedure shortened up to one day.
It is banned to stop the provision of the housing services to the Ukrainians in the case of their non-payment and hold forcible expulsion from the accommodation during the quarantine and 30 days after its end.
The norms will act for three months after the publication of the law.
As we reported, starting at midnight on March 17, Ukraine blocked all types of traffic across the state border as part of measures to combat the Covid-2019 epidemic.
Moreover, starting from 12:00 on March 18, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) temporarily suspends the carriage of passengers by rail in all types of domestic traffic (suburban, urban, regional and distant).
Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers is ready to introduce a state of emergency in Ukraine if it is necessary. This was stated by Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal during an extraordinary session of the Verkhovna Rada."You see the work and actions of the Cabinet of Ministers. also make decisions every day, not easy ones, which were not taken throughout the period of Ukraine's independence. Yesterday, the state of emergency was introduced in two Ukrainian regions, Zhytomyr and Chernivtsi, by the decisions of the commissions and then - by the government's decision. In the future, if it is necessary, we are ready to introduce the national emergency in Ukraine just as most European countries do. If necessary, we are ready for such decisions. The suggestions are being prepared and will be submitted, we have the appropriate legislation, it regulates all these things,” Shmygal stated.
As we reported earlier, Ukraine will set up a coordination council on countering the spread of Covid-2019. It will be headed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
On Tuesday, March 17, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) will hold an extraordinary emergency meeting on counteraction of the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
As we reported earlier, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked the Cabinet of Ministers to ban the railway, air and bus intercity transfers and work of metro starting from the 12:00, March 18. “The Infrastructure Ministry, since 12:00 p.m., on March 18, 2020, should ban the railway, air and bus intercity and interregional passenger traffic and ban the work of metro. The city transfers may take place in such mode: up to 10 people in the shuttle buses and taxi. Up to 20 people in the trolley busses, buses and trams,” the message said.
